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Macleans, Canada
April 24 2005
Armenians mark 90th anniversary of mass killings in Ottoman Empire
AVET DEMOURIAN
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Tens of thousand of Armenians on Sunday
marked the 90th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire, vowing to press their case to have the killings
recognized by Turkey and the world as genocide.
Waving flags and carrying flowers, people streamed through the
Armenian capital and marched up to a massive hilltop granite memorial
to hear speeches and prayers.
Weeping mourners filed into the circular block memorial, laying
carnations on a flat surface surrounding a burning flame. A choir in
black sang hymns as the crowd filed past, some carrying umbrellas
against the sun.
The country will observe a minute of silence at 7 p.m. (1400 GMT) and
Yerevan residents will place candles on window sills in memory of the
victims.
"International recognition and condemnation of genocide is a goal
that not only Armenia must achieve," President Robert Kocharian was
quoted as saying by the Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency. "Armenia is
ready to build normal relations with Turkey. However, the policy
being pursued by Ankara is surprising not only in Armenia, but
elsewhere in the world."
Ottoman authorities began rounding up intellectuals, diplomats and
other influential Armenians in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, as
violence and unrest grew, particularly in the eastern parts of the
country.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Armenians ultimately died or were
killed over several years as part of a genocidal campaign to force
them out of eastern Turkey. Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of
Armenians died, but says the overall figure is inflated and that the
deaths occurred in the civil unrest during the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire.
France, Russia and many other countries have already declared the
killings were genocide; the United States, which has a large Armenian
diaspora community, has not.
Turkey, which has no diplomatic ties with Armenia, is facing
increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the event, particularly as
it seeks membership in the European Union. The issue is extremely
sensitive in Turkey and Turks have faced prosecution for saying the
killings were genocide.
Ankara earlier this month called for the two countries to jointly
research the killings.
Armenian communities around the world also marked the anniversary,
with church services and demonstrations. In Moscow, hundreds attended
a memorial service at the construction site for an Armenian church.
In northeastern Syria, some 4,000 people flocked to the city of
Marqada, where thousands of Armenians are buried.
"We are here to remember our martyrs whom we should never forget,"
said Krikour Haydenian, a 33-year-old merchant.
An estimated 100,000 Armenians currently live in Syria.
April 24 2005
Armenians mark 90th anniversary of mass killings in Ottoman Empire
AVET DEMOURIAN
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Tens of thousand of Armenians on Sunday
marked the 90th anniversary of the mass killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire, vowing to press their case to have the killings
recognized by Turkey and the world as genocide.
Waving flags and carrying flowers, people streamed through the
Armenian capital and marched up to a massive hilltop granite memorial
to hear speeches and prayers.
Weeping mourners filed into the circular block memorial, laying
carnations on a flat surface surrounding a burning flame. A choir in
black sang hymns as the crowd filed past, some carrying umbrellas
against the sun.
The country will observe a minute of silence at 7 p.m. (1400 GMT) and
Yerevan residents will place candles on window sills in memory of the
victims.
"International recognition and condemnation of genocide is a goal
that not only Armenia must achieve," President Robert Kocharian was
quoted as saying by the Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency. "Armenia is
ready to build normal relations with Turkey. However, the policy
being pursued by Ankara is surprising not only in Armenia, but
elsewhere in the world."
Ottoman authorities began rounding up intellectuals, diplomats and
other influential Armenians in Istanbul on April 24, 1915, as
violence and unrest grew, particularly in the eastern parts of the
country.
Armenia says up to 1.5 million Armenians ultimately died or were
killed over several years as part of a genocidal campaign to force
them out of eastern Turkey. Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of
Armenians died, but says the overall figure is inflated and that the
deaths occurred in the civil unrest during the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire.
France, Russia and many other countries have already declared the
killings were genocide; the United States, which has a large Armenian
diaspora community, has not.
Turkey, which has no diplomatic ties with Armenia, is facing
increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the event, particularly as
it seeks membership in the European Union. The issue is extremely
sensitive in Turkey and Turks have faced prosecution for saying the
killings were genocide.
Ankara earlier this month called for the two countries to jointly
research the killings.
Armenian communities around the world also marked the anniversary,
with church services and demonstrations. In Moscow, hundreds attended
a memorial service at the construction site for an Armenian church.
In northeastern Syria, some 4,000 people flocked to the city of
Marqada, where thousands of Armenians are buried.
"We are here to remember our martyrs whom we should never forget,"
said Krikour Haydenian, a 33-year-old merchant.
An estimated 100,000 Armenians currently live in Syria.